So here we go:
The previous chapter Into The Mountains ends with Stave warning Linden that she is being tracked by Kresh. The word kresh to her sounds frightening, but she's not sure if it is familier or not; I thought that was a really neat idea that Donaldson used, as the reader is trying to remember if there were kresh in the Second Chronicles, Linden herself is too.
Regardless though, she realizes that there is no chance of out running the beasts as Stave and Liand want her to do; so she first decides to try to use the White Gold.
Stave forbid it though, warning her of Old Evils that still inhabit the mountains.She Lifted Covenants rings out of her shirt an closed it in her fist. "You can't protect us. You said so. Maybe I can"
What darker peril could Stave have ben worried about?"Beter the threat of fangs and claws than some darker peril."
Still, Linden would not run. This is one of the first times we ever see an haruchai not willing to fight; at least not willing to fight right aaway. Stave knew how dangerous the kresh were, and figured they might as well atempt to outrun them.
The THOOLAH members must have been very upset as Satve scooped Linden up in his arms, and she just let him carry her out of the danger.
*Could this be a foreshadowing of what is to come in the rest of the stories...Stave carrying Linden out of danger...?*
This next quote does shed some light onto what we are going to expect from Anele:
As she was being carried, Linden began to wish for Covenants pressence, thinking that he would have known how to use his ring to deffend them.In his arms she mounted the slope as if she were moving backward through time. With every step, Stave's feet touched memories which only Anele could perceive, The Haruchai carried her up over broken pieces of sone, fragments of lamentation. No wonder Anele was mad.
Personally, I think her Schoolgirl crush has clouded her memory...Covenenant was no master of his ring; at least not for quite some time; she recalls this too, that when he alloyed himself in the Banefire, he had foresworn the use of any power, even as his own self protection.
Stave eventually slows down for Liands sake, and give's Linden a a slight tongue lashing,
He was speaking of when she fled Mithil Stondown during the stormThe Linden Avery who is remembered among us would not have done so.
**Bullshivick**; Stave just forbid her from using the ring, now he's giving her grief for not uing it earlier. The Haruchai are still pissed at her for Ceer and Hergrom.Rather she would have bourne the White ring to the Stonedown's deffence
She counters with a little BS herself
...Uh what Haruchai did you know...other than maybe Tull; I can't remember any who weren't the most arrogant SOB's around.The Haruchai I knew weren't that arrogant.
This is where the chapter picks up. The kresh come into view; LInden realizes that she had never seen them before, as one would not forget how terrifying they were.
Now LInden (and most readers) are confused; why would Foul bring her to the Land, heal her with hurtloam just to sick a pack of wolves on her?
She comes to the conclusion that the wolves were sent to prevent something from happening; although we still don't know what yet.
What follows is he reason why this is my favorite chapter: Lots of Fantasy writting have battles seen from multiple Points of View. Usually from a few different people at a few different locations. This however has the battle from one's person's POV; who is seing more than one POV herself.
As she lets Anele tell her the tale of his life.
Another aspect of this chapter isthe amount of Foreshadowing and Aft shadowing that goes on.
Apparantly, Stave did not want her to hear this tale either. Personally I couldn't help but contrast the fact that whomever had sent the kresh(most likely Foul); and Stave seemed to be in agreement at least on this one detail, and then I couldn't help but be reminded that Fould told Linden the Harchai serve him unknowingly.
As Anele told her that he was the son of Sunder and Hollian, Stave tried to convince her that Anele was still mad. Not a very good arguement, as how would Anele had even known who Sunder and Hollian were unless he had known them? Surly the Masters don't let the people of the Land know about the two people who cleaned up the Sunbane.
Watch how Donaldson uses a mico/marco cosms effect to what is going on, and to what Linden hears...
-Just before he contimues his tale, the kresh are almost on top of them; Linden attempts to rouse the White Magic, but cannot, luckily,
**It seems that someone, or something else wants Linden to hear the tale.a concussion like the shattering of tremendous bones shhok the rift, and a blackness more fathomless than ebony and midnight blossomed between the cliffs.
-Anele confesses that he was born in Mithil Stonedown, but travelled throughout the entire land with his parents, and was completely ashtonished by the work that they did cleaning up the effects of the Sunbane. As he says how much they had learned from the Haruchi and the Giants...
-The kresh are right on top of them again-interupting the Tale .
-Then Men and Women appear among the stones and begin fighting off the kresh.
-Anele tells that he was born of flesh and Earthpower.
-Linden thinks that these people are too small and too few to help.
-Anele say that he felt he was unworthy to bear the Staff of Law from his parents.
-The newcomers actaully do fight off the kresh, and do it well.
-Anele realized that he required a different path.
Before he could confess what that path was; the UrViles show up. And we find out that the newcomers to the battle were the one and only Ramen.
Stave tried to forse Linden to use the White Gold to stike down the Loremaster, as Linden tries to confess that she cannot, a Manetrall shows up and tells them
Now we are stuck in a confusing bombardment of images; Haruchai and Ramen arguing, one Stonedowner deffending the Chosen from kresh, UrViles being trusted by the RamenThe Ringtane's power is not needed sleeples one. The UrViles will not harm you."
Yet Anele seems not to notice, or care about anything else happening, and forces Linden to hear the remainder of his autobiography.
Then through a disgusting accounting of the bloodshedding of the kresh, Anele, softly, half-singing, continues.
I don't know about anyone else; but at that point I started thinking about the first time we ever met the UrViles...IN Andelain when they attackt the Wraiths; quite similarly, thatnight, Covenant could not use the ring to save the wraiths, but was enabled to escape by the good fortune of the first Unfetterd One that we meet.
Well right at that point, Anele tells how he himself decided to become unfettered. Not overly surprising, since everyMan in his lineage other than his father were themselves Unfettered Ones, awaiting the UrLords return.
At this point, suffereing major losses, the remainder of the kresh retreat the battle.There I became Unfettered. The Haruchai had spoken of such men and women, From them I had learned the words, though, I did not know the song.
Quoting Anele again,
It was at that point we see the UrViles go after and slay the retreating kresh. A servant of Foul, destroying another servant of Foul.I imagained that if I coulod but tune my ears and Earthpower ti an adequate acuity, I might lean from the gutrock itself how the Land might be rid of its most ancient and implacable evil.
Well now the battle is over, but Anele's tale is not.
He tells how as an Unfettered, he only tryed to learn everything he could about Earthpower and Lore. But he never tried to actually use it....remeber earlier, when Linden thought about Covenant in the Banefire? Once he fond his purpose, he no longer need to use any power.
Stave now tries once again to pursuade Linden to ignore his tale; he tried to onvince her to return to Mithil stonedown.
That was spoken by the Manethrall...and in those three short sentance we learn a great deal about the Ramen in these times.Depart is you will Bloodguard. We will permit the old man to speak. Long have we wished to hear his tale.
We learn that they can't stand the Haruchi...calling them Bloodguard...? They haven't been Bloodguard in nearly an eon! We learn that they knwo Anele, as they must live somewhere nearby, and we learn that they respect him. Could they be any different than the Haruchai?
What comes next is our first First Hand Account of ceasure. He talks about how he sensed a wrongness, that he wanted to explore.
And right then the UrViles begin to return. Then Anele tells how evil this force felt; basically saying that Evil had returned, but it was a new evil.
Stave tried to interupt again, kissing the Raman's butts...
He then tries to sway the conversation back to taking everyone to Mithil Stonedown.Your pressence among these mountains is a great boon to the Land, unexpected among the perils of these times. If you will consent to accompany u, or to return to your ancient homes upon the PLains of Ra, all the Haruchai will refjoice in your presence.
This did finally break Anele's concentration; he begins to lpead to Linden to kep him safe; the Manethrall answered Stave with hatred in her voice.
**OUch!! that was Harsh!! Only three Bloodguard actually turned to Foul's service..unless that was even more Foreshadowing.We remember that you have ridden Ranyhyn to their deaths. In those years, we withheld our enmity only beacuse the Bloodguard had swore fealty to the Lords. But we remember also that you turned from fealty to the service of Fangthane the Render.
What follows is a dramatic argument between Stave, fighting on behalf of all the Masters, and this Manethrall fighting on behaf of the Ramen, the Ramen of old. In the Meantime, it is decided that Stave will wait three days before deciding if he will take Anele into custody.
=Linden's thoughts.Thank God-
Thank God? Thanks whose God? The God in the Real World? -Linden I don't think is an overly religious, or spiritual person. Then who? the Creator? He doesn't really do much, he certainly woulnd not have had a hand in this little fight, would he?
Anyways, NAele continues the climax of his story: He beheld this great evil, and wanted to explore it; knowing that he was a being of Earthpower, he figured he would be safe.
He did however feel that the staff of Law would not fare so well, so he left it behind. He also states, that if he brought the Staff, he might be expected to use it--I don't know about anyone else, but that sure reminded me of Covenants bargains in the First Chonicles. He explains the wrongness as a ceasure, or a Fall.
Anele stayed within the Land, but he knew that everything was different. The people of Mithil Stonedown knew not who he was.They are a spinning of vile power, an illimitable bane, and when I had beheld it I was appaled...I was stricken immobile. My littleness unmade me.
And; he lost the Staff of Law. It was not where he left it, and he could not locate it.
Poor Anele is suffering from a severe case of deppression; and rightly so.
-A fairly awkward statement to respond to, the only thing Linden could have said was that she beleived him.I am marked for damnation, and yet I cannot so much as die. If Sunder my father had known what the outcome of his love would be, he would have buried Hollian my mother beside the Soulsease, and the Land would have been spared the ill which I have wrought.
--more foreshadowing...? I wonder if poor old Anele is up to the task.Now I knew the truth. You said it yourself. You're the Land's last hope
Why is this chapter called Scion of Stone? A scion is a child or heir. Child of Stone? Heir of Stone? Is Anele, indeed, a Stonestal? Infused with the will (and power) of the Earth for its defense?